BOSTON, Feb. 18, 2015—The man who allegedly tried to rob a downtown electronics store last year – and may have succeeded in an earlier armed robbery at the same location – was identified after Boston Police criminalists recovered his unique genetic profile on a glove he left behind, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

DARREN PARKER (D.O.B. 5/28/68), who is homeless, was arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on charges of attempted armed robbery and assault and battery in connection with the 2014 hold-up and struggle.  Assistant District Attorney Brett Walker requested bail of $2,000; Judge Thomas Kaplanes set bail at $1,000.

Walker told the court that Boston Police responded to the Radio Shack on Summer Street for a report of an armed robbery shortly before 4:30 p.m. on February 16, 2014.  An associate on the sales floor was approached by a man who pulled on a face mask after entering the store carrying a weapon that was later determined to be a screwdriver.  The man demanded iPhones and followed the female associate into the business’ store room.

A male employee observed this happening on store’s surveillance monitor and confronted the suspect.  The man ordered the female associate to secure her coworker with a zip tie.  The coworker, who was the victim in a 2013 armed robbery at the same store, instead became involved in a violent struggle with the suspect that ended when the suspect fled the store.

Nothing was taken from the store, but several items were damaged during the physical altercation.

While processing the scene, officers recovered surveillance images of the robbery, a small screwdriver, zip ties, and a black glove.  The Boston Police Crime Laboratory tested the glove for DNA, recovered a usable profile from the inside cuff, and uploaded it to the FBI’s Combined Offender DNA Index System, or CODIS.

Because Parker was convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault with intent to kill – both felonies for which he served 10 years in state prison – Parker had already been ordered to provide a DNA sample to a state database that overlaps with CODIS. This led to a match – or “hit” – on the glove from the crime scene late last year. As a result, Boston Police sought a warrant charging Parker with the attempted armed robbery and apprehended him last week.

In addition to their investigation into the 2014 robbery, Boston Police continue to investigate a June 9, 2013, armed robbery at the same location.  In that incident, a man who matched Parker’s general description held an object to the sales associate’s back, secured his hands with zip ties, and repeatedly threatened to kill him before fleeing with 10 iPhones.

Parker was represented by Henry Eaton.  He returns to court March 2.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.